


Kakashi Week 2020

by tsuki_here



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Depression, Fluff, Hatake Kakashi Has Issues, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kakashi Week 2020, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, im trash for yamakaka
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:54:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26446666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsuki_here/pseuds/tsuki_here
Summary: My entries for Kakashi Week 2020! Littered with YamaKaka because that's my current obsession.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Yamato | Tenzou
Kudos: 25
Collections: Kakashi Week 2020





	1. Soulmate AU

**Author's Note:**

> KakaTenzo - Soulmate AU in which you switch bodies for a day once both people have reached the minimum age. [In this case, age 15]

"Thank you for training with me, sir," Yugao said with a bow, sheathing her sword.

Nodding curtly, Kakashi sheathed his own tanto. "Of course." Even if they had just returned from a mission earlier that day, it was never an excuse to slow down. Neither of them allowed their bandaged injuries to get in the way.

The sun had fallen below the horizon line, casting dying, orange light over the training grounds as darkness and shadows crept in to take its place. They'd done enough for one day; it was time to call it quits.

He was in and out of the locker room quickly, avoiding conversations as much as he could, before heading back to his quarters for some much needed rest. Yugao's swordsmanship just kept getting better and better; at this rate, it wouldn't be much longer until they were on even footing. Hayate was training her well.

The lock on the door clicks shut behind him as he feels for the light switch, flicking it on, and walking to the small closet to strip off his armor. The heavy vest hits the floor first, followed by gloves, gauntlets, tool pouches, leg wraps, and sandals all landing in a pile around it. Grabbing a clean change of underclothes, he headed to the tiny, adjoining bathroom to wash up. It shouldn't have taken very long, but rebandaging the not quite healed wounds took more time than he expected.

On his way back out, he dropped the worn uniform on the clothes pile and flicked off the lights. He'd deal with the mess later; lying down took far more priority at the moment.

Kakashi sighed as he finally collapsed backwards onto the bed, staring blankly up at the dark ceiling. The mattress wasn't nearly as comfortable as the one in his apartment, but he was just too exhausted to bother going home most of the time, so he had learned to settle with it. He just made sure to drop by every once in a while to keep the dust under control, and make sure his plants were watered.

It took a while, like it typically does [Because he hated sleeping and put it off whenever he could. It always ended badly], but eventually his eye drifted shut and he gave in to the abyss of sleep.

Though, he didn't wake to the usual night terrors, but rather to a nauseating, dizzy feeling he couldn't remember ever having experienced before. He couldn't even bring his body to move for what felt like several minutes, as if he was suddenly numb and sluggish. As the feeling returned to his nerves, Kakashi cracked open his right eye to a pitch black room, unable to help think it was darker than normal. The mattress beneath him, too, felt different, as every spring was digging into his back it was so thin. When he eased himself up into a sitting position, the sound of creaking metal announced his every movement.

Kakashi blinked against the gloom, trying to make out his unfamiliar surroundings as he strained his hearing for any hints as to where he was, but there was nothing but deafening silence.

Unsteadily, he got to his feet, the small cot he'd been on groaning in protest as his weight was taken off it. He couldn't help thinking maybe he'd been drugged, but he knew he would have sensed if someone had came into his room. Before he could think about it much more though, his eye had adjusted better to the dark, enough to show the room he was in was practically just a small, cement box. If it weren't for the regular wooden door, Kakashi would have been convinced he was in a prison cell. The cot stood in one corner and a dresser in the opposite one; the rest of the room was barren.

He tried the door first, finding the handle turned and that it wasn't locked, but he wasn't ready to risk finding out what was beyond the room at that moment. Instead, he turned to check the dresser next, unable to shake the feeling that something wasn't right. The more he focused on it, the more he realized what exactly was so off putting. 

His injuries were gone, and so were the bandages he knew he'd just replaced. He didn't feel as tall in comparison to the door as he should have been, and he suddenly felt hyper aware of the long hair brushing against his shoulders and forearms as he moved about the enclosed space.

Things finally started making more sense as the pieces fell into place. He knew it wasn't uncommon, and he'd overheard many other people talking about the anomaly of finding your soulmate through body swapping for a brief period of time. He'd just come to the assumption that maybe he didn't have a special someone, or that maybe they'd already died [He couldn't deny the crush he'd had on Obito when they were younger, but the Uchiha had never made it to 15.]. After all, he was already nearly 19, and hadn't had the literal 'out of body experience' others raved about. Until now, anyways.

Kakashi continued to the dresser, feeling a bit better about the situation now that he knew what exactly was going on, though the environment still had him concerned. Sliding open the top drawer, he let his left eye open as well to better focus on what was inside. There wasn't a point in keeping it shut with no Sharingan to worry about.

He could easily recognize the Konoha ANBU uniform, neatly folded and organized inside, but he wasn't particularly surprised by that as he'd already had that figured out from the black underclothes he was wearing that were just like his own. What really grabbed his attention was the white porcelain mask, which he couldn't help but pick up. He hadn't seen it much, but it was still familiar and distinctly burned into his memory. A cat mask, with green tabby stripes and red crescent moons around the feline eyes. Beneath where it was placed in the drawer rested a silver happuri. If he'd had any doubts, they were gone now.

'These are Kinoe's..'

Placing the mask back into its place, Kakashi poked around a bit more, only finding more spare uniforms and other basic tools, until he reached the bottom drawer. There, tucked away under the folded cloth, was a scroll and a small bottle.

The paper unraveled to show neat brush strokes of complex jutsu formulas he couldn't immediately make sense of. 'These must be Wood Style jutsu..' He rolled it back up and returned it to the back of the compartment, then picked up the palm sized bottle and turned it over, hearing the rattle of pills inside. With a bit of strain, he made out what was on the label and frowned. It was sleep medication, and it was at least half empty already. He put it back and closed the drawer before standing up.

He wasn't too sure how he should handle the situation; figuring out who he had switched bodies with had been easy enough, but he didn't really know Kinoe that well. Not well enough to impersonate him for the rest of the day, at least. And letting the Foundation know they'd switched places could end up badly for both of them [It was a huge breach of the needed secrecy of both the Foundation and ANBU], even if it wasn't as if either of them had willingly chosen for it to happen. All he could hope for was that Kinoe was able to hold his own pretending to be him until they could switch back, and that he could do the same.

***

He couldn't remember ever having felt so warm and comfortable before, but he couldn't make himself enjoy it. All of his internal alarms were going off; something was terribly wrong. Kinoe cracked open his eyes to a dark room, immediately startled by the shades of red he saw, and the sudden drain on his chakra. He tried to sit up, though felt a wave of nausea at the strange vision and squeezed his eye shut until the sick feeling passed. After a minute, he eased open his right eye since it seemed the other was the one that made him dizzy, and looked around the room.

It certainly wasn't his; it was a bit bigger, and the bed was in the middle rather than the corner, not to mention felt considerably softer. He swung his legs off to the side to stand, wincing as a sharp pain stung his leg when he put weight on it. He didn't remember having a wound on his calf; it felt like a deep cut. Not to mention he felt the aches of various bruises that weren't there before. Had something happened in his sleep without waking him? He doubted it, but.. What else could explain-?

Kinoe decided not to worry too much about the injuries, considering they had already been tended to and were wrapped in bandages, and the only real tell of where he was from within the room was the ANBU uniform thrown in the corner. At least that meant he was still in Konoha, and likely safer than he first had been worried about, but he still couldn't shake the strange, unsettled feeling he had. 'And what's wrong with my eye? It's almost like..'

After he dressed in some of the spare armor in the closet [thankfully it fit him], he stepped out of the bedroom, and was met with an unfamiliar hallway that definitely told him he wasn't in the Foundation base at all. 'This must be the Hokage's ANBU base, then.'

Hardly anyone seemed to be around. Though, he hardly made it ten feet down the hall before someone called out to him from behind, "Oh, excuse me, Captain!"

Kinoe almost didn't react, not thinking they were referring to him, but there wasn't anyone else around, so.. 

He turned to face the purple haired woman, confused that she did seem to mean him. "Yes?" Why did his voice sound so different?

"I was just coming to tell you that Ko and I are leaving on a mission later today, but as far as I know, you're still off duty, sir."

"Oh, alright; thank you." 'Wait, this voice was..'

The kunoichi frowned with a worried expression. "Kakashi, are you feeling okay? You seem a bit off today.."

His heart stopped for a moment as his mounting suspicions were confirmed. The unfamiliar room, the voice, the wounds, the red of the Sharingan- "Sorry, I guess I just haven't fully woken up yet." 'How did this happen?'

It must have been enough to put her at ease, as she smiled some again and nodded. "Right, it is still early.. Well, I'm going to go find Ko now so we can get ready. We should be back in around a week, so I'll see you then, sir." After a quick bow, she continued down the hall and disappeared around a corner, leaving him to his silent questions.

***

He'd never been allowed to wander the village freely before, but it was hard to appreciate the feeling of freedom when the weight of uncertainty was pressing down on him. Kinoe had been hoping that taking a walk would help clear his mind, but the situation was no clearer than it had been two hours ago when he woke up no longer in his own body. It would be so much easier to just ask someone, but he figured people would just think he was crazy at best, or a disguised enemy at worst. He considered going to Lord Danzo for help too, but pushed it aside as a last resort. It wasn't unlikely he would get in trouble if it was somehow his own fault this happened, and if it turned out Kakashi was now in his body, then the Hatake could end up with an even harsher punishment. After Kakashi had helped him keep Yukimi safe those few years ago, he still owed him enough not to rat him out. He'd just have to figure this out on his own, or hope the other shinobi could for him.

Kinoe was broken from his thoughts by a loud voice to his right suddenly calling out, "Hey, Kakashi!" Stopping, he glanced over to where a vaguely familiar, green-clad ninja was enthusiastically waving at him, or at least, at who he assumed he was. 'Right.. How would Kakashi respond?' Simple; he'd have ignored the other shinobi entirely and kept walking, but it was a bit late for that. He fumbled for a heartbeat, trying to come up with something to say, but was spared for the moment as the other ran up to his side.

"My rival! Are you perhaps feeling up to a challenge today?" 

Despite how hopeful Kakashi's friend sounded, he knew he couldn't agree. He had no idea what sort of 'challenge' the other meant, and if it was combat, there was no way he could copy the Hatake's fighting style. Even having the Sharingan open for a few seconds had messed with head, and he didn't have a clue on how to make use of Lightning Style. "Sorry, I can't..-"

The other's grin faltered for only a millisecond before returning even brighter than before. "That's alright! Maybe you could join us for dumplings instead?"

Kinoe's gaze followed his gesture to the dango shop across the street where three other people were watching the exchange. Agreeing wasn't a good idea, but he couldn't quite ignore the twinge of guilt either. Maybe he could try finding out what had happened to him through them? Or at very least figure out how to better impersonate Kakashi by judging their reactions of him. He'd rather make them suspicious than members of the ANBU. "I..don't see why not."

He wasn't ready for when Kakashi's friend suddenly put an arm around his shoulders and led him over to the shop; he was hardly used to people talking to him outside of missions, let alone touching him. It was terribly uncomfortable, but he endured it long enough to make it to the table and sit down, when he was finally released.

"I'm impressed you actually got him to come over here, Guy," the only female in the group spoke up with a small smile.

"No kidding, especially after ignoring us for the past five years," the man with short black hair next to her mumbled, getting an annoyed look from the man sitting across from him with brown hair and a senbon in his mouth. 

"Lay off the attitude, Asuma.." he said with a hint of warning, then turned his attention back to Kinoe with a friendlier smile. "It's good to see you again. ANBU missions gotta be tough, huh?"

"It's..not so bad," Kinoe replied awkwardly, trying to avoid eye contact when he could. Already he was regretting agreeing to join them, he should have just said no even if it did hurt Guy's feelings. 'I'm a member of the Foundation, I have no reason to care; I'm not supposed to even be able to so why is saying no so hard?'

In hopes of breaking the tension, Guy quickly spoke up again and asked, "So Kakashi, how have you been?" He still sounded cheerful enough, but there was an underlying tone of concern.

Kinoe shrugged and kept his eye focused on tabletop, tracing the patterns in the wood grain. "Okay, I guess. Same as usual."

They must have picked up on his discomfort with all of the attention on him and changed topics to something more trivial, talking more amongst themselves and leaving him to listen rather than pressing more. Between not really being himself, not knowing what had happened to him, or who these people were, Kinoe retreated into his own thoughts, unable to shake the unbearable feeling of not belonging. Not that he felt any less isolated in the Foundation, but at least he'd gotten used to how things were there. This was all sorts of different and wrong, and he knew he just wasn't supposed to be there.

He came back to reality when the black haired woman pushed a plate of dango in front of him with a reassuring smile. "Did you want some? You haven't eaten anything yet."

Hesitantly, he picked up one of the sticks and eyed it with a degree of wariness. He didn't really know if he wanted it or not; he'd never had a dumpling before and had no idea if he would even like it. Normally he ate the same few, bland meals every day, and whatever nutrients wasn't in the food was substituted with food pills. But he had already picked it up, and everyone else was eating, so he didn't see the harm in at least trying it. Without really giving it a second thought, Kinoe pulled the cloth mask over his face down to his neck and took a bite.

It was easily the best thing he'd ever tasted; he'd never eaten anything sweet before, and hadn't even known food could taste this good, but the enjoyment was gone as soon as it came as the panic set in.

Everyone else was staring at him in completely unconcealed shock and 'shit I wasn't supposed to do that I screwed up-'

Kinoe immediately pulled the mask back up to hide the humiliated blush, thoughts of running away before they could ask questions raced through his head. Before he could go through with it though, Guy broke the stunned silence. 

"You're..not really Kakashi, are you..?"

"What do you mean..?" was all he could think to say, try to play dumb and act like it was an honest mistake, but his voice shook and he couldn't meet anyone's eyes, couldn't hardly think straight with the fear of the punishment he would get when he was found out and Lord Danzo was going to be so angry-

But they didn't seem hostile toward him at all, and the girl even smiled with the beginnings of excitement. "Did you finally get a body swap?"

"A..what..? I mean, yes, but..what is that?" She asked it as if it were..normal. Maybe even expected or planned.

"You know, like with your Soulmate? Everyone is supposed to do it," she tried to explain, though it just left him feeling even more confused. It was the first he had ever heard of such a thing. 

"No one's ever told me that before.. And what's a Soulmate?"

"Geez, have you been living under a rock or something? They even talk about it in the Academy," the man with the senbon said, though looked a bit guilty at the uncomfortable expression Kinoe had. After all, he basically did live under rock, figuratively and literally. "Sorry, I just meant most people know about it at a young age.."

The woman jumped back in to try and explain better, "You see, your Soulmate is the one person in the world you're meant to be in love with and is supposed to be a perfect match for you. And when both people have turned 15, they switch bodies for a day so they can find out who the other is and then find each other when they swap back. So, today must be your 15th birthday, right?"

"Birthday?" It sounded pretty self explanatory, the day he was born on out of the year, but no one ever talked to him about his age or told him what day he'd been born on, or even that it was anything noteworthy enough to have a word for. He supposed a big part of it was that no one even knew when he had been born or exactly how old he was considering he'd been found in Orochimaru's lab.

There were some more weird, worried looks when he questioned even the word 'birthday', and Guy asked, "Um, if you don't mind me asking, who exactly are you and where are you from?"

He couldn't really get out of it, and at least they were helping answer his questions, the least he could do was answer some of theirs. "My name's Kinoe, and I'm part of Konoha."

"I'm Kurenai, and it's nice to meet you," the girl introduced herself, then gestured to the others in turn. "And they're Asuma, Genma, and Guy."

"It's..nice to meet all of you, too.. But um, you said this body thing is only going to last for a day, right?" Kakashi would be able to make it that long, wouldn't he?

"Yeah, it's only for one day, so don't worry, you guys will be back to normal soon enough," Genma replied reassuringly. "It can be pretty weird, especially when you're not expecting it to happen."

Kinoe had to admit he felt quite a bit better now that he understood what the hell was happening to him, as well as knowing it wasn't anything permanent. Though, the whole 'Soulmate' thing hadn't really sunk in yet; he'd never loved or been loved by anyone, so it was an entirely foreign concept. The closest he'd experienced to it was the bond he managed to make with Yukimi, but that had mostly stemmed from the fact that she called him her brother, and that he was so desperate and starve for having a family and feeling wanted for something aside from his jutsu, he wasn't able to help but immediately latch onto her giving him validation and treating him like he was a living, human being for once. [And she reminded him of the girl back in the lab who would smile at him even when everyone else was gone and it was only them left, even as the branches ripped her open and shattered her chamber, she still smiled, the only way she could try to communicate that 'everything's going to be okay so please don't be scared-']

He cringed some as Guy put his arm around his shoulders again, wishing he didn'thave to be so touchy. "So Kinoe, our new friend, now that all of that's out of the way, we should celebrate! Today is your birthday after all!"

"O-Oh, no, that's okay, I wouldn't even know what to do-" His protest didn't do any good.

"Come on, you'll be a lot better off sticking with us now that we know you've swapped. Besides, no one should go 15 years without celebrating a single birthday! And don't worry, we can explain things to you as we go," Kurenai assured him, and he hated to admit she had a point.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, no pressure," Genma added.

It was just for one day, anyways.

"Well, okay.. I guess I wouldn't mind.." What else would he do with his time?

***

Kakashi found the easiest way to avoid suspicion was to keep quiet and do what he was told. The less he said, the less he could say things wrong, and Kinoe definitely wasn't stupid enough to be rebellious in front of his own superior officers.

It was a lot easier than he expected, actually. No one seemed interested in talking to him, and generally avoided him like the plague. Even during training, he was left to his own little corner with no direct instructions, though judging by the way the clearing looked, it seemed Kinoe typically practiced Wood Style here quite often.

He decided it was worth trying to use some of the new jutsu available to him, since it would help his cover should anyone come to check on him, if nothing else. And he couldn't deny, the thought of using a kekkei genkai he normally had no access to was appealing, especially one so rare as Wood Style. Even the challenge of trying to use two nature styles at once intrigued him.

Being familiar with Earth Style definitely helped as he focused the chakra into one hand, then with a bit more difficulty, let the Water chakra flow to his other hand. Then it crossed his mind that maybe this was a bad idea; that should he mess up, he didn't know what repercussions it might have on Kinoe's body. With some degree of disappointment, he let the chakra fade away and sighed. Pretending to practice Earth Style was the safest thing he could do.

Kakashi trained for a while, until it became clear no one was coming to periodically check on him, when he decided to take a break and wander around the forest a bit, curious when he came across another empty clearing. Except this one had no signs of being used for any sort of practice. All that was there was a large patch of dirt in the center, and dozens of small, unmarked mounds of dirt in neat rows. It looked eerily like a graveyard. Unnerved, he soon returned to the clearing he'd been left at and continued training where he'd left off.

When one of the masked Foundation members finally came to relieve him from training late into the evening, Kakashi could tell from the way he was looking around that it was out of the ordinary for no new trees to have sprouted in the clearing. Regardless, no questions were raised, and he was simply told to return to his room.

Thankfully he was able to find his way back without too many wrong turns, having memorized most of the way he needed to go to return to the small room on the way out, though it still was difficult to remember perfectly when every dark hall looked nearly identical.

Even despite taking quite a number of breaks simply because there wasn't really a point to taking it seriously, or pushing Kinoe's body when he wasn't familiar with where his limits were, he still felt rather exhausted from the day. Waking in the middle of the night with all the thoughts and questions of the body swap running through his head had left him too anxious to go back to sleep, which played its part in the fatigue he felt.

Collapsing back on the thin, spring-riddled cot was terribly unsatisfying and borderline painful, but Kakashi couldn't bring himself to care. The exhaustion ran all the way to his marrow and left his mind feeling entirely shot, enough so that he could pass out even in the uncomfortable conditions.

***

It turned out having friends was much more mentally taxing than he expected. Kinoe had no idea what a birthday celebration entailed, so he hadn't been prepared to be dragged all across the village to various shops and establishments while being asked a plethora of questions, most of which he couldn't answer. [Though it was embarrassing when Kurenai asked him what gender he was, commenting that 'Kinoe' was typically a female name, which left him spluttering.]

They only decided it was time to let him go a while after the sun had set and the streets were filled with colorful storefront lights. He was grateful that when he asked if Kakashi had a house, Guy volunteered to escort him there to spare him from potentially having to lie his way around any ANBU.

Picking the lock after Guy enthusiastically bid him goodnight was easy enough [he did absolutely everything with enthusiasm], and he let himself into the dim apartment. Even if it had been tiring, he had to admit he had fun. Kakashi's friends were kind and accomodating to him the whole time; he knew he couldn't blame them for doing things or asking questions out of his comfort zone. They didn't have any idea he was part of the Foundation, or if they did have a suspicion of it, no one said anything. And it wasn't lost on him how excited they all seemed about the whole 'Soulmate' thing, making what he guessed was supposed to be subtle comments of how good it would be for the Hatake to finally know there was someone for him.

When Kinoe flipped the light switch on, he was met with a rather plain, sparsely decorated living room with an open kitchen connected. As he wandered further in, he noticed a thin layer of dust on the shelves and table tops, and a stale quality to the air. Briefly, he browsed the spines of the books in the living room, though nothing of interest caught his eye and he moved on to the kitchen.

The fridge was nearly entirely empty except for a few non-perishables, and the window sill was inhabited by a few small succulents, which he watered after noticing their soil was dry.

Finally he went through the door that led him into the bedroom with an adjoining bathroom. The bed looked far too inviting to care about exploring the rest of the room, though he did vaguely look over the ledge at the headboard where a few books were propped up against the wall, and an alarm clock and a picture frame sat. He didn't recognize anyone aside from Kakashi in the photo, and it was clear it had been taken quite a few years ago. Only then did he work on taking off the uncomfortable, heavy vest and the rest of the ANBU armor, leaving it folded neatly on a nearby dresser. His mind was jerked back to attention when he slipped off the gloves.

He hadn't noticed back when he first woke up since the ANBU bedroom had been dark, but now in the light of the bedside lamp, his eyes were drawn to the thin lines along both of his wrists. The scars were all fully healed and seemed to have been from a while ago, but they were worrying nonetheless. Even on the pale skin, they still stood out more than seemed should have been possible.

Kinoe couldn't quite shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach as he crawled under the covers [The comments of how good this was for Kakashi dragged themselves back to the forefront of his mind.]

He spent nearly an hour tossing and turning, unable to get comfortable despite how soft the bed was. Finally an idea crossed his mind and he sat back up, knowing there was just one thing he had to do before time ran out.

***

Kakashi hadn't been expecting to wake up in the comfort of his own bed, but it wasn't an unwelcome surprise. Nothing seemed to be wrong right away, so he assumed Kinoe managed to handle himself without too many issues. But, he must have gotten help from someone to have found his apartment, which came as some relief that he hadn't been dealing with the confusion on his own. It still begged the question of who had been with him, though.

Rather begrudgingly, he forced himself to sit up and stretched, running a hand through his hair with a yawn. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a splash of bright white by his bedside lamp and picked up the piece of paper, blinking a few times to clear the sleep from his eyes before focusing on the neat writing.

'Kakashi, I wasn't aware of this Soulmate thing until now, but I'm glad that it was someone I knew that my body was left to. I don't really know how I can talk to you in person any time soon, but I hope we can figure something out. And could you thank your friends for me? I had a lot of fun spending the day with them, and they were really helpful. Sorry for breaking into your apartment, but it seemed safer than going back to ANBU, and Guy helped me get here, so.. Anyways, I hope everything was okay on your end. Oh, and your two teammates went on a mission and said you'll be off duty for a bit. Kinoe.'

He could only sit there and reread the short note a few times through, the situation slowly starting to fully sink in as he could finally relax and think it over. It felt..strangely nice knowing he did still have someone out there meant for him, especially after spending the last several years thinking maybe his Soulmate was dead or just didn't exist. Knowing that wasn't the case was so unexpectedly comforting. And even with how little time they spent together on that mission those three years ago, he knew Kinoe was a good person with how he acted with the Yukimi girl.

The news that he didn't have to show up for anything at headquarters either was pretty great too, and he let himself fall back against his pillows. Since he felt considerably better than he had been in a while, a few extra hours of sleep actually sounded rather nice for once. 'Maybe I will have to go thank Guy later..'


	2. Pack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi deals with the loss of Rin in the company of his dogs

The clock ticked incessantly in the background as the shadows shifted and crawled across the floor. Somehow a whole day had passed, feeling both like an eternity and only a brief few seconds. The living room started to darken as the sunlight faded to a fiery orange, then gave way to pale moonlight. 

The pendulum swung. The second hand traveled the clock face in a jittery circle. Time passed in a metronome of deafening clicks.

Had it only been two weeks, or was 'had it already been two weeks' a better way to put it? Rin's funeral felt like it had taken place years ago, in another lifetime, perhaps. But with all the images replaying in his head over and over..maybe it was only a few minutes ago his arm had been smeared with blood up to the elbow-

Kakashi rubbed his eyes, hoping it would stop some of the discomfort. They were dried out from random periods of breaking down into tears, some episodes lasting for up to an hour before he finally got a break and collected himself. But, all he did then was stare blankly at the wall, which didn't help the problem at all either. When the dry feeling didn't fade, he just sighed and tucked his arm away back under the blanket.

Sensei had insisted Kakashi stayed in his house for the time being so Kushina could keep an eye on him. He wanted to refuse, hating to be more of a burden than he already was, but he just didn't have the strength to argue, not when Minato already looked determined on the matter. So that's where he'd been since he got out of the hospital; curled up on Sensei's sofa under some spare blankets, only getting up for necessities because the will to do anything else was gone. A part of him wanted to go straight back to work, just to have a distraction and excuse to ignore his thoughts [the thoughts of how he failed, he broke his promise, and now Rin was gone forever, and her blood had scalded his skin as she fell, how she used her last breath to choke out his name with a mouth full of scarlet-], but he knew he wouldn't be of any use.

Kushina checked on him regularly, but didn't usually stay for too long. She knew he preferred to handle things in privacy, though it didn't stop her from sitting across the room sometimes, occasionally trying to ask simple questions just to get him to speak, or she would wait until Minato was home and carried a conversation with him instead to give Kakashi something to listen to. Sometimes their words reached him and he could follow along, other times he felt they were speaking a foreign language. Or, maybe their lips just moved silently.

Maybe the words were drowned out by the clock. [Or the noises in his head.]

Even when the Uzumaki left him alone, he wasn't really alone. Not when eight warm bodies were huddled up around, some on the couch, under the blankets, on the floor just beside him within arms reach. Every so often, Pakkun suggested or reminded him to eat or drink whatever Kushina had left on the table at the side of the sofa near his head, but otherwise, they stayed quiet and let him grieve, just remaining as a form of support and as a layer of defense should he try to hurt himself.

[He wanted to, but didn't have the energy. He wouldn't do anything in Sensei's home, either. The feeling of uselessness was crushing, but he knew Minato and Kushina were suffering right alongside him. Could he really put them through another death, another funeral?]

The pendulum swung. The clock ticked.

Had another day passed yet? Or was he still stuck in yesterday?

Sleep came with difficulty every other day or so, when he was just too exhausted to keep his eye open any longer. Either he was gone for half a day in a black void, or he woke within an hour, shaking and drenched in feverish cold sweat. Regardless, he never felt any less tired. The haze of exhaustion seemed to have settled deep into his skull and bones, a permanent ache in his marrow. Falling asleep wasn't made any easier with the constant ticking grating on his nerves. His overly sensitive hearing magnified the sound until it echoed unbearably in his head. Asking Kushina to take it down crossed his mind, but every time he tried to, his tongue just felt like lead, so he kept the request to himself.

Pakkun was always either curled up in his arms or on the arm next to his head. When the latter was the case, Biscuit took his place by his chest to help keep him warm. [Kakashi was vaguely aware he felt a lot colder than usual anymore, which he attributed to having hardly ate since the incident. He'd probably lost a bit of weight too; not much, but he never had much to spare to begin with.] Guruko, Shiba, and Urushi all stayed on the opposite end of the furniture on the open cushion, while the others crowded around on the floor. Their company helped him feel better, but only by a little. In comparison to the misery he felt, it hardly made a difference, but he still appreciated the effort, even if he never voiced it out loud.

Sometimes when he dozed, Kakashi woke to the feeling of Minato gently ruffling his hair when he returned from the office, and got a fond smile that was equal parts concern and sorrow. It made the smothering guilt tighten his chest, because it's all his fault things turned out like this, but something about it was comforting, too. [Probably the fact that Minato was still here with him and wasn't gone like the others, and that he still cared about him and for some reason didn't blame him for what happened to Obito and Rin. His father used to mess up his wild hair too, back before everything went wrong.]

Another restless night passed, another sunrise.

Some of the dogs stretched and yawned around him, some stood to lay down in a different position.

Sunrise bled into sunset as another day passed him by. The pendulum never faltered in its rhythm, and the second hand counted tirelessly onward. 

In his head, he's still standing in that lake of crimson, drenched in blood and surrounded by gored bodies. Lifeless eyes watch from the twisted trees above him as he stands over her corpse. Rin lies half-submerged in center, sickly pale in the moonlight and a gaping hole in her chest.

Silent tears start again.


	3. Kakashi's Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some sad YamaKaka fluff- Written with the bed sharing prompt: "You're severely depressed these days and I'm too scared to leave you alone so yes this is the only solution please accept my hugs."

Closed curtains blocked out the bright, midday sun, leaving the bedroom pleasantly dark and warm. There had been knocking on his front door a few hours ago, but he had been perfectly content to just ignore it and bury his face in his pillow. He was off duty today, and given the day, he knew exactly who it was anyways, and that he didn't have to answer if he didn't want to. [He didn't. He never wanted to open his door anymore.]

It had been quite a while since he last was on break during his birthday; it didn't particularly matter to him, but it was an excuse to waste the day in bed without feeling too much more guilt than he already did. 

Kakashi did lift his head, however, as a light tap sounded on his window before the glass swung in and a lithe figure climbed in with a bundle under his arm. Dropping his head back to the pillow, he mumbled, "About time you showed up.."

"Sorry," Tenzo apologized, closing the window behind him and dropping his bag on the foot of the bed. "Got held up with some paperwork.. You didn't miss me too much, did you?"

"Hn, I suppose not.." That wasn't entirely true, but he wouldn't admit it.

The brown haired man smiled at him and reached into the bag, placing a gift wrapped box next to him. "This was outside your door. Think you'll be okay a bit longer while I clean up?" When he got a slow nod in reply, Tenzo lightly ruffled his hair and went to the adjoining bathroom.

After a few minutes, the sound of the shower running reached him and he forced himself to sit upright with some reluctance, picking up the box and turning it over. It was light, and didn't really make any noise as he inspected it. The tag attached to it indicated it was from 'his eternal rival' that he had barely spoken to in the last ten years, who for some reason always left him a present outside his door in the early morning of his birthday despite never getting a thanks back. He was tempted to peek into the bag Tenzo had brought, but the nice smell it was giving off told him it was food, so he wasn't particularly interested in snooping.

Meticulously, Kakashi pulled off the wrapping and opened the cardboard box within. Blinking in surprise, he daintily picked up the plush dog that was inside. He had to admit, it was cute, and the fur was softer than he expected. Normally he didn't care much for things without any practical use, but he figured he could make an exception just this once.

He wasn't left waiting for long before Tenzo returned in his black underclothes, dropping off his folded uniform on the dresser top before the younger man sat next to him on the bed, smiling some at the sight of the stuffed toy. "So, that's Guy's gift, huh?"

"I guess so. I don't know why he bothered."

"Well, you're friends, aren't you?"

"Um, yeah.." Though, it was questionable as to why.

Tenzo just rolled his eyes and leaned forward to drag the bag closer, pulling out two takeout containers and utensils, and setting one in front of him. "Here, eat up. I'm guessing you're hungry."

Not really, but he nodded and accepted the container, popping the Styrofoam open to see some curry inside. He idly poked at the rice with his spoon, trying to find the will to take a bite while Tenzo gave him a worried look out of the corner of his eye.

[Tenzo was always watching him like that anymore. Ever since the Uchiha incident, and Itachi had left. Things were a lot worse since then.]

There was a comfortable silence between them as they ate; granted Kakashi was much slower, and was more content to lean on Tenzo's shoulder and leave most of his curry untouched. The other man knew better than to try pushing him too much at once.

Once he was sure Kakashi wasn't going to eat anymore, Tenzo took the food out to the kitchen and was back within a few seconds, not liking to leave the white haired man alone for longer than necessary. He reached back into his bag again, which surprised Kakashi since he assumed it was empty, and pulled out a sealing paper. He watched curiously as the Wood Style user unsealed a potted pine bonsai tree before handing it to him with a small smile. "Happy birthday, Kakashi."

Hesitantly, he reached out and accepted the plant, taking a moment to admire it before murmuring, "Thank you, Tenzo.. It's lovely.."

[It smelled so nostalgic and familiar. His father always carried the scent of pine and soil with him.]

"I'm glad you like it," he replied, seeming relieved the gift was taken well. He was still pretty new to most social norms and interactions, gift giving included.

Kakashi turned to place the bonzai on the sill behind his headboard where it could get sunlight, cracking open the curtains to let some light stream in. "Of course, I love it.. Though, I would have liked anything you gave me, so you don't have to worry so much.."

Tenzo nodded in understanding and asked, "So, what did you want to do for the rest of the day?"

Sighing, he admitted, "I just..want to stay in bed today, I think.." He didn't have the energy for anything else. Besides, it was warm and cozy; it sounded like a good idea.

"Okay," Tenzo agreed, slipping under the covers and pulling the Hatake close, resting his chin over his head.

Kakashi brought the plush with him as he let Tenzo wrap him in his arms and buried his face against his chest. It was very satisfying that the other man smelled of his soap and shampoo, which helped lull him into state of security and comfort.

[He never wanted this feeling to end. Even if he didn't feel he deserved it.]

"Kakashi?" the soft voice above him murmured.

"Yeah..?"

"I love you.." Gentle hands massaged circles into his tense shoulder blades.

Kakashi couldn't wrap his head around why, but he was so grateful nevertheless. He needed to hear that to reassure his decrepit self worth, and he was well aware he couldn't do this alone. "I love you, too.."

[He just hoped he could feel he had returned the favor one day.]


	4. Wing AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written with the prompt: "They captured you and put me in your room because I can suppress other people's powers so you hate me but I'm lonely and bored and want to talk to you."
> 
> The AU in which there's hidden fantasy creatures living among the villages that people fear, Kakashi's a faoladh, and Kinoe's a fae-

Konoha was a lot warmer than he remembered. The heavy winter cloak wrapped around him was definitely too much, but he couldn't be bothered to take it off quite yet, not until he found a hotel to check into. It had been years since he was last here after having moved to Yukigakure.

It seemed not everyone shared in his plan, though; he could sense at least two presences tailing him, which he chose to ignore in hopes he was either mistaken, or they lost interest.

Not that luck would be on his side, and Kakashi knew he was in trouble when he saw a masked figure on the rooftops to his right, empty eye sockets following his every move as he walked down the busy main street. Other shinobi among the crowd were catching on to the unsettling feeling, slowly putting together the pieces of what was wrong as they glanced around.

Cursing internally, he ducked his head and slipped off into a side alley before every ninja in a mile radius had their attention on him, though he knew that was exactly what the masked figures had wanted as three suddenly surrounded him. He had to be careful; too much noise would draw others like moths to a flame.

Dark cloaks, white masks, glistening silver blades in folds of loose fabric-

Kakashi gripped the handle of his concealed sword, preparing to draw it just as the two figures in front of him darted forward, sparks flying as metal collided with a harsh clang. There was far too little space to fight and maneuver properly, and with all the flurry of activity, it wasn't easy to follow everything each enemy was doing. Losing track of the one somewhere behind him wasn't particularly surprising with the other two keeping his attention fully occupied, though it only became an issue when he felt the dart hit the side of his neck, and the dizziness set in within a few moments before darkness came. He didn't even feel himself hit the ground.

***

He woke on a cold, hard floor with shackles around his wrists, chaining him to a steel ring on the wall. The chains weren't so short that he couldn't move about, but not long enough for him to reach the bars of his cell.

With a groan, he pushed himself upright shakily and placed a hand on the side of his neck, wincing at the sore spot there.

"So, you're finally awake," a voice commented somewhere to his right, and he lifted his head with some difficulty to squint through the gloom and bars. A man with short brown hair was sitting cross-legged on the other side of the room with an open book in his lap and a slight, casual smile on his face.

The room wasn't very big, even including his cell where it was built into the corner, and his peripherals told him that there was only the one guard. Maybe all hope wasn't lost quite yet. Still, he wanted to wait until the tranquilizer wore off a bit more before trying anything.

Kakashi couldn't be bothered to reply to the observation, just fixed him with an irritated look before looking away, resting with his back to the wall and knees to his chest while he thought over how he should handle escaping. His cloak and belongings had all been confiscated [they even took his sandals, where he had a hidden a razor blade in tucked into a small pocket in the straps, so he couldn't even rely on that.]

His silent message must not have reached the other man, who spoke up again, "Are you feeling alright? I know some medical jutsu, if you need it.." When he still didn't get a reply, he closed his book and moved closer to the cell, settling right on the other side of the bars. "You're not much of a talker, huh?"

Turning a blank look on him, Kakashi muttered, "I don't usually get all buddy buddy with people holding me hostage.."

The smile fell away then. "You know why we have to. You could be dangerous. And you're not from here, are you?"

"I didn't do anything wrong."

"But you could have."

He scoffed. "Guilty until proven innocent, huh?"

"..Sort of, yeah.." After several heartbeats of silence, he asked again, "Where did you come from? I don't recognize you."

Deciding to humor him, Kakashi answered, "I was born in Konoha, but went to live in Yuki when I was still young. This is my first time back since I left." [He hadn't felt particularly thrilled about staying after the people here had driven his father to his death, and had the audacity to claim it was his own fault.]

"What's your name?"

"What is this, an interrogation?"

"Oh, no, I was just wondering.."

With a sigh, he replied, "Hatake Kakashi.." This guy didn't get out much, did he?

The smile came back as the other responded, "My name's Kinoe."

It wasn't like he asked, but he kept the snarky point to himself. Though, he did decide to say sarcastically, "I'd say it's a pleasure to meet you, but I'd be lying.."

The hint seemed to be obvious enough this time to be caught, and Kinoe averted his eyes, soon going back to his book and not asking any further questions.

Relieved that he was finally left to his thoughts, Kakashi waited another half hour until he was sure most of fuzziness in his head had worn off before testing the strength of the shackles and chains. Under normal circumstances, he could have broken them easily, but he found out soon enough that his chakra was sealed like he figured it would be. It was time to fall back on Plan B. Ideally, the thought would be that his transformation would give him the rest of the power he needed to snap the metal instead of relying on chakra, only he couldn't seem to make his body change.

Without looking back at him, Kinoe mumbled, "You're not going to be able to change forms while you're in there.."

Even as the brown haired man said it, Kakashi saw the small detail he'd overlooked previously. Interwoven into the chain was a thin vine, and when he traced its path up, it was grown into cracks in the stone walls and surrounded the entire cell. "What is this..?"

"I'm a fae; it's part of my abilities. Those vines keep other creatures from using their powers."

That certainly threw a wrench in his plans. "Oh.. Well, how long am I going to be kept here? I'll be let go eventually, right?"

"It's..not very likely you'll be let go," Kinoe answered, keeping his eyes on his book, though he clearly wasn't reading anymore. "Like I said, you'll probably be considered too dangerous.."

"Just because I'm not human? You're not one either, and not all faes are flowers and music," Kakashi retorted.

"I was raised here, so the others know what I'm like. And the rest of the village doesn't know I exist, so they're not going to be scared or anything. Besides, you're a werewolf, and-"

"Excuse me?"

Surprised at being cut off, Kinoe looked back at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"I'm not a werewolf."

"But.. Lord Danzo said you had wolf-"

"I'm a faoladh. There's a difference."

"How, exactly, if I can ask..?"

Huffing an irritated sigh and crossing his arms, he explained, "Faoladhs don't lose their minds over there being a full moon. In fact, we're forest guardians that help people who get lost. There's never any murderous rampages for no reason or hunter instincts toward humans."

"Oh, I didn't realize.. I've never heard of faoladhs before.."

Kakashi slumped back against the stone wall and glared off at the opposite, empty corner of the room. "Most people haven't.. Though, guess can't blame them when we're practically extinct thanks to humans assuming my kind are 'vicious, out of control beasts that should be exterminated'.."

Kinoe started to stand up and looked toward the only door out of the room. "I can speak to Lord Danzo about this.."

"People don't listen.."

"But, I'm sure once I explained to him.." he trailed off at seeing how little effect his words were having and sat back down. "Kakashi, I'm sure I can clear up the misunderstanding for the others.."

"I'm going to assume you're the only nonhuman here, am I right?"

"Yes, but what does-"

"And you've probably been here a long time, haven't you?"

"I was raised here," Kinoe admitted. "How did you know..?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "It's pretty obvious, considering that you think they'll actually care.. Do they make you hide your wings, too?"

"No," Kinoe said a bit took quickly; defensively. "I hide them because I want to." When he just got a questioning look for that statement, he added, "Sometimes the others look at me oddly because of them. I fit in better when no one else sees I have them."

"So, they make you feel guilty and isolated for not being human like them."

"Not all people are bad, you know."

"I know, just a lot of them are. And you're terribly naïve if you think your teammates are part of the good ones for treating you like an outcast."

Kakashi realized a moment too late that he'd struck a nerve he probably shouldn't have as Kinoe bristled in anger. "You shouldn't insult what you don't know.. And I'm not so stupid as to-"

"I never said you were stupid, just naïve," the wolfman countered. "I have no doubt you're intelligent enough, but it doesn't help much when you've been misinformed and sheltered your whole life. You said it yourself, that you were raised here, away from your own kind, or any other type of creature for that matter. You just don't know any better, and that's not your fault."

The fae seemed to relax some, unable to deny the truth in the other's words and also not able to come up with a strong enough rebuttal to argue with. "Still, they didn't have to take me in.."

"They did it for their own benefit, not yours. They're just using you for your powers. That's just what people, and especially shinobi, do.." When he didn't get a reply, Kakashi inched a bit closer to the bars of the cell with a hopeful expression. "You don't have to stay here with them, you don't need them.. I could help you get away, so you could have your own life, but you'd have to help me get out of this cage.." He knew he was being a hypocrite; he was a lot more concerned with getting himself free than actually helping the other, but his life was on the line. If he had to use and trick the fae into helping him, so be it. And it wasn't as if he was entirely opposed to helping the other find somewhere away from the Leaf to live, so long as it didn't interfere too much with his own plans. Clearly Konoha had been a poor choice, so he was planning on leaving as soon as he could anyways.

Kinoe looked like he believed him for a heartbeat or two, but then scowled and crossed his arms. "Nice try.. I'm not going to get in trouble for your sake."

"You won't get in trouble if you don't stay or get caught," Kakashi pointed out, tipping his head to one side with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "It's for the good of both of us. Doesn't being free sound good to you? Or would you really rather be stuck here following orders all the time? Last I checked, fae do better out in the forests than being kept locked indoors all the time." The torn, considering expression on Kinoe's face told him he was making progress, and he did his best to make sure his smile was still friendly despite the sharp fangs that showed.

The door of the room opened then, and two masked Foundation members stepped into the room, the one with a hawk mask saying sharply, "You're supposed to keep watch on the prisoner, not be speaking to it."

Flinching, Kinoe dropped his gaze to the floor and mumbled an apology, though looked up again as they both approached the cell with kunai drawn. "What are you doing..?"

"Lord Danzo said to get rid of him. Figured we might as well get some target practice in," the other with a simple patterned mask replied, twirling his blade as Kakashi backed up to the far wall, wanting as much space and time as possible to either dodge or attempt catching the knives mid air. He knew he couldn't move as fast without the aid of chakra, but he'd still have to try.

He missed the first kunai, which buried itself in his right bicep. The second he caught, and used it to deflect the third. Fourth hit his right thigh and fifth bit into his left side. Kakashi pulled the blade from his arm with a grimace and threw it back, watching it spin away harmlessly as Hawk knocked it aside with his own kunai, though the second knife Kakashi launched at him impaled itself through his hand, forcing him to drop his weapon in agony. 

A flicker of surprise passed through him as Kakashi felt the vine wound into his chain start to move, growing toward the chakra sealing tag stuck between his shoulder blades before peeling it away and then receding entirely. Within seconds, he felt his chakra start to flow and thrum the way it was supposed to once again, giving him that last boost of strength he needed to snap the chains. Hardly had the broken metal touched the floor before he darted forward, blue lightning sparking around his hand and cutting through the steel bars of the cell as if they were made of butter.

Both of the Foundation members started to back away in fear as the tables started to turn on them, though didn't notice Kinoe behind them until they were already hitting the floor with fading vision, soon completely unconscious. He already looked like he might be regretting his choice of actions, though was soon distracted from the thoughts when Kakashi stopped at his side and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

The words seemed to help clear up his doubts as he nodded his agreement, gesturing for him to follow, and leading the way out of the room and through the maze of halls.

With Kinoe's lead, they were able to avoid all of the guards and slip out of the base into the quiet night without trouble, and only heard the alarms in the distance after they'd escaped the confines of the walls and out into the woods. They only risked stopping to talk a safe distance from the village in a moonlit clearing when they were sure no one had followed them. At least, not yet.

"What now?" Kinoe asked uncertainly.

Kakashi had to think for a moment, tilting his head. He'd been thinking of just going back to Yuki; it was what he was used to and he'd been safe there with the lack of towns in the cold country. But clearly Kinoe didn't have any idea how to fend for himself outside of the village; he had no experience out in the real world without the Foundation brushing everything under the rug. But, a fae wouldn't do well in Yuki's weather..

"Well, we could find a civilian town somewhere around the border of Fire Country to lie low in for the moment.. Then figure out something more permanent later on."

That was agreeable enough for the brown haired man, who looked like he felt a tad better with clear directions to follow. "Okay."

"Before that, though," Kakashi said, smiling a bit. "You don't have to hide your wings anymore, you know.."

Kinoe was surprised for a moment before averting his eyes. For a second, Kakashi thought he wasn't going to do anything, then the cloth of his cloak rustled and two thin membranes unfurled from underneath on either side of him. 

He'd never met a fae in person before, and his breath caught in his throat for a heartbeat when the moonlight reflected off the delicate scales. Even before the butterfly-esque wings fully opened, the luminous hues of green stunned him, shimmering brightly with every little movement. Though, after a moment, Kakashi realized something wasn't quite right. He thought Kinoe just hadn't entirely opened them yet, but on closer examination, he could see the bends and folds in the membranes looked to be unnatural. As if they had been forcibly clipped shut for an extended period of time.

"Is..the damage permanent..?" he asked softly, stepping a bit closer and slowly holding out a hand, only touching the soft wing when Kinoe showed no signs of protest.

With a shrug, Kinoe murmured, "I'm not really sure.. They haven't healed yet, and they've been like this for a while.."

"I'm sorry.." he replied quietly, withdrawing his hand with a sympathetic frown. He hadn't even realized.. It was clear the topic was making the other uncomfortable anyways, so he forced a small smile. "Come on, we should get going.. People will come looking for us soon.."

A slight nod, and Kinoe followed a few steps behind the silver, coarse haired wolf deeper into the trees. Neither looked back once.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first time entering in one of these Naruto contests, so I hope you all enjoyed! Comments are always welcome!


End file.
